Kingdom Days - Daniel Claud
by KingdomDays
Summary: When Princess Emma is forced to leave her kingdom after a siege on her castle, she somehow ends up betrothed to the King of a neighboring country. With only 30 days to decide if she would marry him, Emma stumbles upon a grumpy blacksmith with the social skills of a goat. Yet, the villagers claim the forge is creepy, abandoned and worse - haunted. Something's going on, but what?


**A\N: Based on the Daniel path of the Kingdom Days Sim Date game by Pacthesis. I own nothing.**

 **(changed Rose's name to Emma, because I know a Rose in real life and I don't want them mixing in my head.)**

* * *

Ever since I could remember, I was living in this orphanage. The place was quiet and kind of peaceful, but when you spend as much time there as I have, the silence becomes deafening. I watched the other kids get adopted day after day, but no one ever came for me.

One day, after another one of my friends waved goodbye to this lonely place, I went to sit down by the old rusted fence, where I liked to spend most of my time, gazing at what lied beyond it. Suddenly, a ball flew right over it and dropped next to me.

"Um, that's my ball. May I please have it back?" said a boy from the other side. I could tell by his pointy ears he was an elf, with amazingly purple yes. I handed him his ball without saying a word. "Thanks. My name is Lewis. What's yours?" he asked politely.

"I don't have one. They said that my mommy and daddy have to give me one" I responded with a courteous smile. His face seemed sad for a moment, like he didn't know what to say. After a small pause, he smiled a little again and asked if I wanted to play with him. I shook my head negatively. "They told me that I can't leave until my mommy and daddy get here."

"Oh…" He looked at the building behind me, then back at my face. I kept up the smile, because I had been told many times that I have to make a good first impression and always be nice and smile a lot when I meet new people.

Then we heard a voice shouting from behind him. "Lewis? Where are you?"

"I… have to go now" he said, but didn't move a muscle.

My smile faded. I didn't want him to leave.

"Lewis!" the voice called again.

I regained my composure and smiled again. "It was nice talking to you, Lewis. I hope we meet again."

The voice called one more time, and he slowly turned around and followed it. "I'll come back," he said, turning his head toward me one last time, and then ran to the person calling him.

* * *

~O~

A few more days passed by, and my dream of finding a family still went unfulfilled. Then, one morning, when I was sitting alone by the fence again, one of the caretakers approached me. "Someone's here to see you" she said, putting her hand on my shoulder. She led me inside where a man and a woman were waiting nervously.

The woman kneeled down to my eye level and her eyes gazed deeply in to mine. "Do you know who we are?" she asked. I shook my head negatively.

"My name is Sakka, and this is my wife, Lilla," said the man, also kneeling. "We … we are your parents."

"We thought we've lost you forever," the woman added, tearing up. "But now we've come to take you home."

My eyes also started to fill with tears, and I could barely see their faces anymore. I leaped in to their open arms, and for the first time felt the loving embrace of a parent.

After my parents signed a bit of paperwork, we were free to leave. I watched with wide eyes as the iron gates opened up before me, and I stepped outside. A big carriage was waiting for us not too far. The coachman nodded and touched his hat in a gesture of respect. And next to him was sitting the boy with the ball, Lewis.

When he saw me, his face stretched in to a wide smile. He jumped down and opened the carriage door. "Your Highnesses," he said and bowed before us. It turned out my parents, Lilla and Sakka Urwin, were the King and Queen of the Lunar Kingdom, and now suddenly I was a Princess. And, as luck would have it, Lewis was a servant to the royal family, and it was only thanks to him that the king and queen were able to find me. He later became my personal servant, and we grew very close. For a while I did get to live happily, but not ever after. After a few years a terrible war broke out. Many kingdoms picked up their weapons and started attacking one another out of fear, until one day what _I_ feared most happened…

* * *

~O~

I was making my way to my room from the library one day, when I heard groans and clinking swords outside.

Then someone called out to me. "Milady! M-Milady, where are you?!"

I recognized the voice instantly. "I'm over here Lewis!"

"Hurry, we need to get out of here, now! Cesathis's soldiers have entered the castle!" he blurted out, looking around nervously.

"But what about my parents… a-and everybody else?! You can't leave all of them behind!" I retorted.

"Th-they'll be fine! Please…! Milady, we have to go now!" Lewis said in an unusual tone that didn't stand for objections. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to the fireplace, pushing some button on its side. It turned in to a stairwell, which seemed to lead underground.

"Aah! L-let go of me…! No, Lewis!" I shouted, trying to pull away, but his grip was strangely firm around my wrist.

He was usually a lot more gentle with me. In fact, I thought he was a little wimpy. But I've never seen him this serious before. I knew he didn't like dark creepy places, yet he was now leading me down a completely dark tunnel without a trace of fright. I should really give him more credit from now on. After what seemed like hours, the tunnel came to an end. We climbed another set of stairs and he pushed on a wooden lid.

"It's clear. We should hurry," he said and helped me climb out of the hole. I looked around and realized we were now in the woods, near the castle, where my father went hunting sometimes. It was night, and I could see the smoke and fire coming from the castle.

I heard more screams and the continuing sounds of battle. "Lewis, we have to go back!" I said, taking a few steps toward my home.

"No, Milady!" he exclaimed, getting a hold of me again. "There is nothing we can do about it now. If we went back, you'd just end up captured!"

"But what about everyone else!? They'll be captured too, won't they?"

"I'm sure they'll be ok. There are a few other hidden passages throughout the castle. Your parents and some servants also know about them. Just believe in them. They will manage on their own. My job is to protect you, so I cannot allow you to return yet. It is simply too dangerous."

I knew what he was saying was true. I diverted my gaze to the palace in the distance. What could I, one princess, do to help at this point? They weren't after me alone, they wanted the whole royal family. I felt something warm cover my shoulders. I looked at it, and it turned out to be the coat of Lewis's suit. "Here you go, Milady. It's pretty cold out here. We should get moving before they've realized we were missing." He had a point. I sighed deeply and followed him through the dark leafless forest, reluctantly leaving behind all that I loved.

* * *

~O~

We wandered around in the darkness for so long, I lost track of time. The fall isn't the best season to be wandering around in the woods. Me and Lewis were both covered in mud, it was cold and cloudy, and to top it off, the bare branches of the trees looked really creepy.

"Are you alright? We can take a short break if you're tired," said Lewis after a while.

"I'm ok. But where are we going to go now, Lewis? We've been running around like this forever! We don't even know where we are!"

"I'm sorry, Milady. All I wanted to do was protect you, but it looks like I've failed," Lewis said with sad notes in his voice.

"What do you mean, 'failed'!? We're both alive, aren't we?" I said, trying to cheer him up.

"Um.. y-yes, of course. You're right" he said, cracking a small smile. "Huh? Is it just my eyes, or do I see something in the distance?" He stopped, diverting his gaze east.

I also looked in that direction and saw smoke and outlines of houses. "No, I see it too! It looks like a village! Ah! There's a castle there too!"

"A castle! That's it! I'm sure the people there will help us when we tell then you're royalty. Hurry, Milady! Let's go!"

We rushed toward the palace with relieve in our hearts. To tell the truth, I was really tired. I felt like I'd pass out any minute, but I didn't want Lewis to worry about me. He does that too much already.

"Well, here we are. I suppose all I can do now is cross my fingers and give this door a knock," Lewis said when we arrived at the castle gates and knocked. For a minute nothing happened.

Then we heard a grouchy voice from the inside. "Do you have any idea what time it is? If it's not important, come back in the morning!"

"E-excuse me! I apologize for bothering you this late at night, but this is very important!" Lewis yelled through the door.

"Fine then, state your name and business," the voice from inside demanded.

"My name is Lewis Ashton, and I'm here with the Princess of the Lunar Kingdom. Our castle was attacked and we were forced to flee. We've been wandering around for hours and we have no destination or shelter. I would be grateful if you were so kind as to let us stay here."

A long pause set in. Lewis and I exchanged glances, not sure what to do. "U-um, hello? Are you still there?" he asked from our end.

"I'm thinking, don't rush me. If you're so impatient then just come in for now," the voice called.

"Yes, of course! Thank you very much!" Lewis exclaimed. He pushed open the big wooden doors, and we entered a huge entrance hall. There was nobody in sight.

"Where did the person behind the door go?" I asked quietly, but got no answer.

"H-hello?" Lewis tried to say, but his words echoed in the emptiness.

"It looks to me like the whole castle is asleep," I said to him.

"Then who let us in?" my servant questioned. "I think I see a light over there. Come on," he said, leading me to another set of doors at the bottom of the hall. Once we got in, we saw it was the throne room. "Hello? Is anybody in here? We were told to come in, but-" Lewis started to say, but was interrupted by the same grouchy voice from before.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Can't you wait for one second?" Just then, out of nowhere, a young man about our age walked in. "Just what I need. More useless people asking me for help," he said, sitting on his throne. My eyes narrowed. I really don't like this guy.

"Oh…! Sorry, but I didn't ask you before, but what is your name, sir?" asked Lewis, still trying to be polite to this jerk.

"Joseph Knight. And address me as 'your Majesty' instead of sir from now on." Man, was this guy full of himself. I have to admit though, I didn't expect that. What kind of king answers his own door and prowls his own palace in the middle of the night?

Lewis was caught off guard too. "Y-y-your Majesty?!" he stuttered. "Ah! Wait, I've heard your name before! You're the youngest king in this country! So then this must be the Hepcatsis Kingdom, right?"

"Correct. And if I remember clearly, you said that you two are from the Lunar Kingdom?" the king inquired coldly. "Um, y-yes, your Majesty. The Lunar kingdom was attacked by Cesathis," Lewis answered right away.

"Sakka Urwin is your king, isn't he? Where is he now?" King Joseph asked, and his words made me feel like I'd been punched in the gut.

"I… I don't know" said Lewis with a sad expression. "But I'm sure he escaped safely like his daughter," he added reassuringly, looking my way. The king went silent again. "Um, your Majesty? ..." Lewis started expectantly.

"I've reached my decision" Joseph declared. "Please escort yourselves out of this kingdom and never return. I don't want to see your faces ever again."

"Wh-what!? Y-your Majesty, why? P-please…! We have nowhere else to go!" Lewis pleaded. It was clear to me why. He didn't want to risk his pretty little head.

"I've just decided that I don't like you two. There are no benefits for me, if I let you stay," King Joseph said indifferently. For the short time I've known this guy, I liked him less and less. Now he just added selfish and shallow to his list of traits. I could never imagine my father turning away people, royalty or not, that came pleading for his help. "The only useful thing I could gain from the Lunar kingdom are relations with the royalty anyway. Now please, go away, I'm tired and I don't want to deal with this anymore," the king added and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Lewis exclaimed suddenly. "She'll… marry you." My jaw dropped. Did my best friend really just sell me out to this douchebag!? The king stopped in his tracks. "King Joseph, will you take the princess's hand in marriage?" my friend added.

"L-Lewis! What are you doing!? That's crazy! You're not serious, are-"

"Fine," Joseph cut me off.

"Hold on a second! I never said I would marry you! You can't do this!" I tried to protest.

"I can and I will. If you disagree, then leave," Joseph said, cutting me off again. This guy just made my blood boil!

"Fine! Let's get out of here, Lewis! We'll find another place to stay." I turned to leave, but Lewis blocked my way.

"Milady, I'm sorry. The outside parts of this kingdom are too dangerous," he said in a calm, but insisting voice. "Don't forget Cesathis soldiers will be looking for you. Coming here was already a miracle." I didn't have an answer for that, so I looked away and kept silent.

"The wedding will take place a month from now. Like I said, if you don't want to go through with this, then you and your elf servant must leave," king Joseph said from behind me. I didn't give out any kind of response. I can't condemn myself to a loveless marriage with a guy like that, can I? "Since the Princess seems to be still making up her mind, you two can stay at the empty houses on the west part of the village. We're done now, right? Good night," the king said and just left.

* * *

~O~

Me and Lewis left the castle and found the houses the king mentioned without much of a trouble.

"Wow. This house is actually pretty nice. Wasn't it nice of the king to let us stay in it?" he said when we entered the first one.

It's true the house wasn't bad. It had everything I could need. I even found some money in one of the drawers. I wasn't sure it was ok to take it, but Joseph did say no one lived inside. But the nice house didn't make up for the fact that I had to marry someone like him. How could Lewis just betroth me to him like that!?

"…. Milady, please don't look at me like that. I only did all of that to protect you," he said.

"I can look at you however I want!" I snapped "How is marrying him supposed to protect me!?"

His face saddened again. "You have every right to be angry," he said with a sigh. "Forgive me. I didn't know what else I could have said to convince him into letting us stay here. He did say the only thing he could gain were relations with the royals… It's getting late and you've been through a lot today. I think it's about time for us to get some rest. I'll be in the house next door so don't worry. Sweet dreams, Milady," he said and exited, leaving me alone.

I had so many emotions twirling inside me. Regret for leaving my family, fear of what's going to happen, defiance for being offered to Joseph like some item on an auction, anger at Lewis for doing that, helplessness to change anything and not to mention fatigue. I was so worn out, the minute I sat down on the bed I fell backwards and fell asleep with my dirty clothes still on.

I was awoken the next morning by a loud knock. "Come in!" I said, realizing I'm still wearing my clothes from yesterday, and that I've left some dirt stains on the bed sheets.

"Good morning, Milady. Did you sleep well?" asked Lewis, stepping inside.

I noticed he has already changed in clean attire. "Huh? Your outfit… you already got new clothes?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes!" he replied with a smile. "I ran into some very good people this morning. I was even able to get you a new dress!" he added showing me a pink dress.

I took it in my hands and checked it out. "Ew. Lewis, I don't mean to be ungrateful, but… it's pink. And why did you get me a dress? I'm not living in a castle anymore. Can't I just wear pants or something?"

"P-pink?! This isn't pink! It's fuchsia!" he objected. "And of course you can't wear pants! You're still a princess! You must dress appropriately!"

I sighed. "Fine. But aren't pink and fuchsia pretty much the same thing?"

"It doesn't matter, Milady. I think that this color will look nice on you. Now hurry up and get dressed! We should go back to the castle to pay King Joseph a visit."

"What!? No way! Why would I ever want to see that jerk again?" I exclaimed discontentedly.

"You're going to marry him, aren't you?" said Lewis. "You should at least try to get to know him a little better. Maybe he was just in a bad mood yesterday. Just give him a chance."

"Bad mood, yeah right," I mumbled to myself. In how bad of a mood do you have to be to refuse someone your help, if you're usually a decent guy?! But what choice do I have? "Okay, okay! Just get out of here so I can change already!"

"That's the spirit, Milady! I'll go on ahead, actually. We'll meet up at the castle, okay?" he said cheerfully and walked out.

I sighed again, irritated of how happy he was about this. I changed into the pink dress and stepped outside. The palace wasn't far, but I had to go by a part of the village. When I first saw this place, I thought every town would look a bit gloomy at night, but now it seems just as depressing. Maybe it was from the weather, but I just felt unwelcome here. The woods we arrived from were the same way they were at night – scary. I passed by an old windmill that looked abandoned. I stopped and looked at it. It felt as if I was being watched. I sensed chills running down my spine and quickly continued my path. I also passed an old blacksmith's that looked dusty, but the guy inside seemed to be doing normal things, even if he was surrounded by cobwebs. Maybe he just wasn't good at cleaning?

I arrived at the palace and walked right in. Lewis was waiting for me in the throne room. I noticed his face was worried. "Hey, Lewis. Is something wrong?" I asked, approaching him.

"Ah, Milady! It's King Joseph… he… he's gone!" he exclaimed.

"Gone? So... is he... dead?" I said, maybe a little hopefully.

"Noooo! Don't tell me that you were secretly hoping for that to happen!" Lewis exclaimed. Well, to be honest, no. Even if he was a douche, I wouldn't wish for anyone's death. Although, that _would_ solve all my problems, but I didn't say it to Lewis. "Here, I found this on his throne…" he said, handing me a piece of paper. It said:

 ** _'I went to take care of some business. I'll be back before the wedding._**

 ** _Joseph Knight'_**

I looked back at Lewis and saw he was still worried. "So what?" I said. "He'll be back. It's not like he's gone forever." _Unfortunately,_ I added to myself.

"B-but... now you can't get to know him!" said Lewis and sighed. "I guess now the only thing we can do is wait for him to come back."

"Whatever" I said, again irritated by his behavior. "I've had enough of this. I'm going for a walk," I stated and walked out.

"A-ah! Please be careful, Milady!" Lewis called after me, but I just continued walking.

* * *

~oOo~

After storming out of the castle, I wasn't looking where I was going, so tripped in something and fell on the ground. I got up and realized the heel on my shoe had broken off. I looked around for a cobbler or something, but instead my eyes fixed on a blacksmith's. It was that dusty place I passed on my way to the castle. I wasn't entirely sure if a blacksmith could help me, but the place didn't seem closed ,and the guy working inside looked cute. I knocked a couple of times on the door and just let myself in.

"Hello?" I greeted the guy I saw trough the window. I don't know a lot about blacksmiths, but are they supposed to work all alone? There was no sign of family or any other people. On top of that, the blacksmith didn't even respond and just kept slamming his hammer. "Not much of a talker, are you?" I said, coming closer. "When a customer says 'hello', you're supposed to greet them back. No wonder your business is so slow."

He stopped his work (finally) and after taking a good look around, his eyes fixed on me. "… Are you talking to me?" he spoke at last.

I raised my eyebrow. "Who else would I be talking to?"

"Um…. no one, I guess," he replied, glancing over at the piece of metal he was working on.

"So… do you run this place all by yourself?" I asked, trying to spark a conversation.

"Yes," he replied shortly and gripped the hammer again. "What's your name anyway?" he asked before starting to forge again.

"It doesn't seem like you care," I sad, a bit insulted that he ignored me.

"Well you've been coming in and sneaking around. Can't I at least know your name?" he said while working.

"You can, when you look me in the eye when you're talking to me."

He got the hint and put the hammer down. "Alright, I'm sorry. Will you tell me your name now?"

"Emma."

"Oh, nice to meet you. My name is Daniel. So, what do you want?"

Rude, much? This blacksmith is really starting to get on my nerves. "Nothing. Do I have to need something to be here?" I said, crossing my arms.

"But what's the point of coming here if you don't need anything?" he said.

"Maybe I'm just… looking around. This place seems… interesting," I said, eyeing the cobweb-covered walls.

"Whatever," he sighed. "You're weird. You'll get bored soon, just watch," he said and continued with his work.

"You are the rudest blacksmith I've ever met!" I retorted.

"Stop bothering me, will you? It's getting kind of annoying."

"What's your problem!?"

"You coming in here bugs me, that's what. Can't I have some privacy?"

"Fine!" I said angrily and stormed out. This guy drives me insane! Why is he so mean to people he hardly knows!? Well, who needs him anyway, I can find someone else to fix my shoe.

I went to the fountain that was just a few meters away and sat on the edge. "Excuse me!" I called after a random person "Can you tell me where I can find a shoemaker or something around here?"

"Sorry, old man Al is sick. He won't be working for at least a week, and he's the only cobbler in town," the guy said and continued on his way.

A whole week? But… I only have one single pair of shoes! I frowned. Looks like the impolite blacksmith is my only hope. I took a deep breath and limped over to the forge again.

He didn't even look up when I came in. "You again? Just go away, will you?"

"No," I said firmly.

"Geez, don't make me kick you out. Why are you so stubborn?"

"And why are _you_ so cranky?"

"Because you keep bugging me!" he snapped angrily.

I looked at him, surprised at his sudden raise of voice. "Are you mad at me? What for?"

"No, I'm not. I'm just…" he sighed and didn't finish the sentence. Instead, he put the hammer down and leaned on the working table, wiping the sweat off his forehead. He looked like he'd had a pretty rough day. Maybe I shouldn't judge him so much.

"Doesn't it being alone in here all day make you lonely?" I asked, going and leaning on the table beside him.

"N-no. Don't you have something better to do?"

"Actually… I need some help with my shoe," I said and showed him my thorn off heel.

"Do I look like a cobbler?"

"You don't look like a grouchy old man either, but that doesn't stop you from acting like one"

"…I'll see what I can do," he said, taking the heel in his hand.

Just then, it occurred to me that I don't have any money. "About the payment though… I'm a little short on cash right now, but I'm thinking about getting a job, so… can I pay by installments?" I proposed.

Daniel went to his tools hanging on the wall and picked out a tack hammer and some small nails. "Don't you have any money on you at all?" he asked after a small pause.

"Um… just 10$" I replied, taking the money out.

For my surprise though, he didn't take them but scribbled down something on a piece of paper and gave it to me. "Go to the Bazaar and buy this. Then we'll be even."

"Um, broken heel here? Can't I do it after you fix it?"

"No. Go now, or no deal."

I angrily swiped the paper and left. The nerve of that guy! Just when I started to think better of him, he goes and makes me do something like that! The Bazaar was close at least, but it would've been ten times faster and easier for him to go and buy his stupid… whatever that was. He just wrote down the name of some product, so I had no idea what I'was buying. I swear, if it's something humiliating and he thinks it'll be funny to embarrass me in public, I'm gonna tear his head off! I can't believe I thought he was cute at first.

"Good morning," I greeted, getting inside the first shop I saw. "Do you sell… this here?" I asked, handing the note to the girl behind the stand.

"Oh, sure. Just wait one second," she said with a smile and disappeared in the back door. She came back soon and handed me (for my great surprise) a tube of glue. "Strongest glue you'll find. That'll be 8.95," the girl said cheerfully. I took out my money and thanked her, but as I was about to leave, she commented on my shoes. "Are you ok? Why are you limping? Oh, I see, a broken heel. You should check Old man Al's, he's the local cobbler."

"Ah, thanks, but a person told me he's sick. The blacksmith thinks he can fix it, so it's ok," I replied, but the girl's face instantly turned pale.

"The blacksmith's? I would stay away from there if I was you. It's haunted, I'm serious! My friend told me that she once saw a hammer floating inside when she peeked into the window!"

"Really? It looked perfectly normal to me," I said, a bit skeptically.

"I really mean it! We shouldn't mess with things we don't understand! Besides, aren't ghosts just so scary?"

"Sure. I gotta go," I said and left. Clearly that girl's friend has been making up ghost stories just to scare her. Sure, the place was dusty and Daniel isn't exactly Mr. Sunshine, but I wouldn't go as far as to call him _scary_. And aren't ghosts supposed to be invisible?

When I got back, he was working on that piece of metal again. "Here," I said, tossing him the glue. "I still don't see why this couldn't wait, but keep in mind I have only 1,50$ left, so if you want anything else, make it cheep." He didn't answer (not even a thank you) and just extended his hand to me. "What? You want the rest of it?" I supposed, reaching for the cash.

"No, the shoe. Give me the shoe."

I was baffled by how sudden this was, but did as he said. He opened the glue and covered the heel with it. Then he carefully aligned it back onto the sole of the shoe and pressed it together. After wiping off some excess glue, he coated the nails with the tube and then reinserted them into their respective holes. Then tapped a few more nails into the heel, making the shoe look brand new. He left it on a shelf to dry off and washed his hands on the sink in the corner.

"You… why didn't you just hammer the heel on the shoe?" I asked.

"If you try to replace the broken heel by merely nailing it back, the original nails will slide back out of their holes," said Daniel, wiping his hands.

"So, the glue… you only needed it for this?"

"Why else would I need glue? I'm a blacksmith, not a dryer."

"Then you're not getting paid!"

"I thought you said you didn't have money."

"But I have a sense of justice!"

"Not everything in life is just," he said, his face suddenly frowning. "The glue needs to dry, so you can hang around until then," he added, picking up some sandpaper and starting to smooth the edges of his metal piece. I went over to the working table, and since there was plenty of room, pulled myself on top of it and sat there, watching Daniel work. "I've never seen you in the village before. Are you from around here?" he asked out of nowhere.

"No. Actually, I'm a Princess from the Lunar Kingdom."

He looked up at me, surprised. "R-really? Sorry… I didn't know. I guess you do look kind of like a princess." I blushed a little at that comment. He wasn't as bad as I first thought. "So you're the princess everybody's talking about. I overheard you're actually going to marry the King. Must be pretty nice for you…"

"There's nothing nice about that!" I snapped suddenly.

"Huh? Isn't finding somebody that you can love and spend the rest of your life with a good thing?"

"Not really. I hardly know the guy."

"What? Then why are you marrying him? Don't tell me you were forced to?"

"Even if I don't tell you that, it won't change the facts."

"… I'm sorry."

"What for? It's not up to you, is it? I blame Lewis."

"Who is Lewis?"

"He's the one that sold me to your King. Some friend. But I guess he had no choice…"

For a while none of us said anything.

"Maybe it won't be so bad," Daniel said.

"… Maybe. I personally think the King is a royal jerk, but then again… maybe I'm wrong."

"Really? What makes you say that?"

"Well, I thought you were a jerk until a minute ago. First impressions aren't always true, right?"

"Huh? Oh, I guess so…" he said, blowing the shavings off his creation.

"And it does reinforce inter-country relations…" I continued, more to myself.

"There. Finally finished," Daniel said and drew my attention to that stupid metal he was working on all day, as I saw for the first time what it really was. A small figurine of a bird. Well, it wasn't the finest craftsmanship I ever saw, but it was still pretty decent.

"This is what you've been working on all thins time? Is it a dove? I really like it."

"You do? It's yours, if you want it."

"Really?" I asked, surprised, as he went over and took my shoe off the shelf.

"I think it's ready" he said, handing it to me.

I slipped it on and walked around a bit. "It's perfect. Thanks."

"It was supposed to be an angel," Daniel said out of the blue.

"What?" I asked, puzzled.

"That figurine. It was supposed to be an angel. I guess I'm not a very good craftsman, am I?" he said, looking out the window.

I glanced over to his creation again. "I think doves are better," I said, making him turn my way. "They represent peace, don't they? And with that war going on, I think it's just the thing to have. Can I still keep it?" I asked, taking it in my hand.

"S-sure. I have no use for it, anyway," he said.

"Really? Then why were you making it?" I asked, taken aback by his statement.

"Just… because I felt like it," he answered quickly.

"I feel bad for taking it, though. You fixed my shoe free of charge, and now you're giving me this-"

"It's ok," he cut me off. "I want you to have it."

"Thank you," I said with a smile.

First impressions really aren't everything. In fact, I think I'm starting to like this impolite blacksmith.


End file.
